“I’ll take her.”
We both flinch as a soldier suddenly appears beside us, like she materialized out of the shadows.
For a second, I’m so stunned to see a woman soldier that all I can do is openly gape at her. She’s dressed in black and brown leathers, a sword at her hip, and a cocksure expression.
She has beautiful, smooth dark skin like umber, warm undertones that bloom at the apples of her cheeks. Her black hair is cut short against her scalp, and it’s been shaved in intricate designs. At first, I think the designs are pointed petals, but when I look closer, I see that they’re actually sharp daggers shorn around her head like a crown, tips pointing up.
“Who are you?” I ask, my gaze lured to the small piercing above her upper lip. The shard of wood fits perfectly into the middle of her cupid’s bow, topped with a tiny, gleaming red gemstone.
She doesn’t answer me, her attention on Hojat. “You should go get your supper before all the assholes finish off the last of it, Mender.”
The left side of his mouth tugs down roughly, a frown that’s more apt as a grimace. “Soon. I’ve got to stir for at least five more minutes before I can leave this to cool.” He looks from her to me and then back again. “You sure you’ll be alright with the lady?”
He still addresses me as lady, never anything crude, not even setting me apart as a captive. It’s hard not to like Hojat when he does things like that.
The woman smirks. “I can handle escorting our plated prisoner.”
Hojat hesitates. “The commander—”
“It’s fine.” She claps him on the shoulder, successfully cutting him off. “Good luck with your stirring, Mender.”
Hojat shoots me an unreadable look, but then he turns back to his pot, stirring and looking into the mixture like it’s the most interesting thing he’s ever seen. Uneasiness crawls over me like an insect in my sheets.
The woman looks me up and down. “Let’s go see your saddles, shall we?”
I shoot one more look at Hojat, but he’s pointedly ignoring us.
I clear my throat. “Lead the way.”
Warily, I fall into step with her. My need to see the others is outweighing all of my reservations. Besides, Hojat would’ve warned me if she was bad news…
Right?
Chapter 15
AUREN
The woman beside me moves like a bird.
Light on her feet, she doesn’t stalk, or stomp, or even do what I’d describe as a walk. She flits, moving over packed snow with a swooping grace I didn’t know was possible, while all I can do is try not to slip.
She takes me in the opposite direction I was heading, keeping away from the crowded bonfire at the cave, and even though I don’t see her eyes on me, I can feel them. The prickle on the side of my face tells me that she’s taking my measure.
My shoulders are tight under the silent observation, my lips pressed together to keep from speaking. It’s not until we’re well away from Hojat that she talks to me.
“So, you’re the famous gilded woman that everyone’s been talking about.”
“Unless you have another one stashed somewhere.”
She huffs, though I can’t tell if it’s in irritation or amusement. I hope it’s the latter.
We approach a smaller campfire with a group of thirty or so soldiers gathered around it, but she abruptly veers to the left, behind a stack of firewood. I nearly trip from her sudden change in direction.
On the next aisle, there are a few soldiers walking around, and once again, she cuts a corner, making us squeeze between tightly-packed tents as she leads us to another pathway.
A sense of foreboding crawls over my skin as I look around the empty aisle. “You are taking me to see the saddles...right?”
“I said I was, didn’t I?”